Wood pallets are used in factories and other industrial establishments to support equipment and supplies. Pallets are produced in different designs. Lightweight "one-way" pallets are designed to support lighter loads and are normally discarded after use, while others which are adapted to support heavier loads are produced with heavy hardwood stock and can be repaired and reused.
While some pallets are repaired and reused, most pallets are discarded, either because they are the "one-way" type, or the pallets may be damaged through usage, or the repairing cost is prohibitive. The disposal of wood pallets presents a serious environmental problem. Due to the size and structure of the pallets, they occupy considerable space and cannot be readily compacted by mechanical compactors. As waste disposal charges are dependent on the volume of the waste, and the number of trips to the landfill or disposal site there has been a need for equipment to shred or break up pallets so that they can be more readily compacted, thereby reducing the number of trips and correspondingly reducing the waste disposal charges.
In the past, large rotary shredders have been employed which utilize cooperating rollers with spikes or hooks which engage and rip the pallets apart. However, rotary shredders require large capital expenditures so that their use is only warranted by large companies that generate substantial quantities of pallets to be discarded. Thus, there has been a need for small, inexpensive pallet shredding apparatus to be used by companies that have lesser quantities of used pallets.